Cloudy dog eye with reddish tint

by | May 10, 2019 | Ask A Vet, Eye Issues | 0 comments

Sissie's Cloudy and Reddish Left Eye

Sissie’s Cloudy and Reddish Left Eye

My dog Sissie’s left eye has a reddish tint to it and has clouded over. I think she still has vision in it because when I wave my hand over it, she blinks. I don’t think it hurts, as she doesn’t try rubbing it with her paw.


Her left eye started changing late summer, and slowly developed into the stage it is at now. The right eye also has a slight clouding to it, but I think is due to age.

Sissy is a 12 year old female miniature rat terrier. She has been staying with our other dog, a 2 year old lab/terrier mix.

Comments for Cloudy dog eye with reddish tint

Nov 30, 2010My Online Vet Response for Cloudy Dog Eye with Reddish Tint
by: Dr. Carol Jean Tillman
Hi,
The photo you showed of Sissy indicates some severe disease processes occurring in her left eye. It may be difficult to treat her at this stage.

What is happening is different than age related ‘cataracts’, or lenticular sclerosis in her right eye. Your test for vision by waving your hand in front of her face is not a very accurate test. Because she blinked, it can be because she smelled your hand nearby, or felt a wind current or any number of other indicators, besides seeing your hand. Or she may be able to discern shadows and light.

Also, pain in dogs and cats and determining how to tell if they are in pain has been a huge topic of discussion in the veterinary medical community for the past few years. Dogs DO NOT show pain the same way a human would. Especially in the eye, where the cornea has fewer nerve endings than in the human eye.

A human with a hair in their eye is sometimes unable to do anything until the hair is removed. I have treated dogs and cats that have had a foxtail (a type of plant seed with thorns) in their eye for several days that were eating and drinking and ‘acting’ rather normal, perhaps only occasionally pawing at their face, and upon removal of the foreign object discovered they had a huge corneal ulcer that in a human would cause excruciating pain!

Sissy’s left eye has severe corneal opacity, which may have been due to a corneal injury, corneal dysplasia, glaucoma, uveitis, a tumor inside the eye, or a number of other diseases that needs to be treated as soon as possible!! You should take her to a veterinary ophthalmologist ASAP.

I do not have any ‘holistic’ suggestions for you at this time. Once a diagnosis is made, then treatment can begin, and perhaps a holistic veterinarian can help. Again, I am not sure at this stage if her eye can heal or not.

Please keep us posted by coming back to this page and clicking the ‘click here to add your own comments’ link below.

Take care,
Dr. Carol Jean Tillman

DISCLAIMER: This educational advice is based on the depth of your question and the picture you submitted. The above should never replace the advice of your local veterinarian, as they have the ability to evaluate your dog in person.

Related Pages:
– Dog Eye Problems,
– Ask a Vet Online Library – Dog Eye Problems Section

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